The buyer, Animal Supply Co., said in a statement that the purchase of Lone Star Pet will enable it to sell products from 300 manufacturers to 4,000 pet retail stores in 20 states, expanding its reach to six new states.

The sellers of Lone Star Pet are chairman and CEO Dennis Stahl and his wife, Anna, who purchased the company in 1986.

Lone Star Pet now has 93 employees at its warehouse and offices on Triton Drive, and no layoffs are planned. The acquisition will mean jobs will be added as early as January, Stahl said, but it's too soon to say how many workers will be hired.

“We're going to approach new markets, so we will need people,” Stahl added, ranging from employees to process orders to truck drivers.

“It will mean more jobs in Schertz,” he said.

The two companies will stand alone as separate business entities and retain their corporate names.

There will be one corporation, “but each company will do business under its own name,” Stahl said.

Stahl said the companies haven't asked the city or the county for tax incentives.

“We are pleased to be in Schertz,” he said. “We don't plan on asking for anything.”

The Stahls aren't selling Lone Star Pet's warehouse and office buildings that occupy a total 160,000 square feet. They have leased the space to Animal Supply.

Dennis Stahl will take a seat on the board of Animal Supply, as will Danny Selman, president of Lone Star Pet, who will serve as Animal Supply's regional president-southwest. Stahl and Selman will become equity investors in Animal Supply.

“We're merging a lot of the same functions,” Stahl said. “This provides us with a lot more scale and enables us to offer better service to retail partners and vendors.”

Animal Supply Chairman Randy Reber said the outlook for growth is good. “The recession really didn't touch either company,” Reber said. “The independent pet retailer has been extremely resilient and has survived the onslaught of the big box stores.”

Consumers continue to seek advice from independent pet stores and feed stores because they like the advice and support such stores provide, Reber said.